Cosmography and Geography in Early Indian Literature c6.s5.40

c6.s5.40

¹¹⁴ Trenckner, *Milindapañho*, p. 359 ; *S.B.E.*, Vol. xxxvii, trans, p. 269 ; Majumdar, *op. cit.*, pp. 38, 51-52. The *Milindapañha* passage in question mentions Vaṅga, Takkola, Cīna, Sauvīra, Surāṣṭra, Alasanda, Kola-pattana and Suvarṇa-bhūmi, while another passage in the same work (Trenckner, *op. cit.*, p. 331) speaks of Śaka-Yavana, Cīna-Kirāta, Alasanda, Nikumba, Kāśī-Kośala, Kāśmīra and Gandhāra. Alasanda of this work is not Alexandria in Egypt, but lay at the mouth of the Indus. The *Kathāsaritsāgara* (Taraṅga 56, verses 54 ff.) of the 11th century A.D. mentions Nārikela-dvīpa (identified with the Nicobar Islands), Kaṭāha-dvīpa (Keḍah in the Malay Peninsula), Karpūra-dvīpa (either Borneo or North-Western Borneo or the Port Barus region in North-Western Sumatra ; also known to the Arabs), Suvarṇa-dvīpa and Siṃhala-dvīpa (Ceylon). About the same age, the Śailendra kings of Malayasia and Indonesia had friendly relations with the Pālas of Eastern India and the Coḷas of the South, while, shortly before 1025 A.D., Rājendra-coḷa’s navy is stated to have defeated the Śailendra king and conquered Mā-nakkavāram (Nicobar), Kaḍāram (Keḍah), Talait-takkolam (Isthmas of Kra), Māp-pappālam (near Kra), Māy-iruḍiṅgam (near Ligor), Ilaṅgāśogam (near Ligor), Mā-dam-āliṅgam (near the Bay of Bandon), Śrīvijaya (Palembang in South Sumatra), Ilāmuri-deśam (Lamri in North Sumatra), Pannai (East Sumatra), Malaiyūr